That day
by DevourTheSnack
Summary: That day, Mikasa met a blonde-haired girl thirteen years ago. Now Mikasa is starting at Sina University with her brother and friends but what she hadn't expected was that the girl she once met was right in front of her and in the same university as her. But the blonde doesn't seem to remember her at all, will she ever be able to make the blonde remember her?
1. Chapter 1

It was mid-October, the cool breeze blew pass the once green trees that had turned to different shades of reds and browns.

Mikasa was strolling towards her favorite spot near the river within the forest. As she was about to reach her destination, she had spotted someone sitting on the rock near the river with their head buried in their arms. She slowly tiptoed a little closer to get a clear vision of the stranger. The stranger was a girl in a hoodie with shoulder-length lustrous blonde hair; she seemed to have been crying for quite some time now. _'Who is this girl?'_ She tried to get an even clearer view of the girl without alerting her but in an attempt to do that she unconsciously stepped on the pile of fallen leaves.

The unusual loud rustling of leaves alerted the girl and Mikasa was about to sprint to the closest tree to hide but she reacted too slowly; the blonde had already turned her head towards her direction. The moment baby blue met cool gray, her mind couldn't think of anything else but how beautiful the blonde hair and baby blue eyes of the stranger are and of course, the rather prominent nose which stood out.

"Who are you?" the blonde asked, glaring at her.

"Uh…Hi, I'm Mikasa." She answered.

The blonde stared at her for a while as if she was trying to detect for lies. "Do as you wish." she said as turned her head back to the direction of the river.

"Can I….uh, sit with you?" Mikasa asked, feeling somewhat nervous but she wanted to get to know the other girl better.

The blonde slightly turned her head towards her direction, "Mm, whatever." She replied.

Mikasa walked to seat herself next to the other girl. Neither of them said anything, they just sat quietly enjoying the calm atmosphere around them. The sound of the wind and the river's steady motion, she loved how calming and peaceful her surroundings made her. They sat there for what felt like hours with no words exchanged between them just until one of them decided to speak up.

"What are you really here for?" the blonde asked without looking away from the river.

The sudden question startled Mikasa a little; she turned her head to face the blonde. "I was just taking a walk to here and saw you crying." She said in a rather calm tone. "Can I ask what happened?"

The blonde flinched slightly but no words came out from her.

"So, that's a no then."

The blonde didn't say anything more but she could see tears forming in the blonde's eyes, still the blonde refused to show any sign of weakness to anyone, she held in the tears. Mikasa wasn't sure of what to do to pacify her, then an idea popped up in her head. She grabbed the other girl's left hand, "I have an idea, come with me."

The blonde was still confused but she went along anyway. They ran through the forest until Mikasa came to a stop, "Wait here, I'll be back." she ran off into the flower garden or a place like it in front of them. The blonde decided to sit down under a tree; she grabbed a stick and started to draw shapes and pictures of things on to the ground. After a minute or two, as she was drawing she felt someone put something on to her head.

"Here, a flower crown." Mikasa said after she put the said item onto the other girl's head. "We're very lucky that there are still flowers left you know."

"Why are you putting this on my head?" The blonde asked picking at the flower crown that was filled with orange and violet flowers.

"You were sad, so I made this to cheer you up." Mikasa answered with a small smile.

The blonde's eyes widen in surprise but then what Mikasa hadn't expected from the other girl happened. She smiled a little, "Thank you." she said.

They walked around for a while until one of them noticed that the sun was getting close to setting soon.

"We should go now." The blonde said.

"Yeah, we should." Mikasa agreed.

They walked together until they reach the road outside the forest. It was getting dark, so they said their goodbyes and were about to part their ways. Then Mikasa realized something, "Wait!" she shouted.

"What is it?" The blonde turned back to face her.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Annie."

"Annie, will you come here again tomorrow?"

"Maybe" The blonde replied with a smug expression, "Bye."

With that one last word she left. Mikasa felt a little depressed that their time together had come to an end for the day but now she had something to look forward to.

 **A/N: This is actually my first ever written fanfiction, so criticism and pointing out where I went wrong are more than welcome. It took me quite sometime debating with myself to publish or not, so I need your help to make me improve as a writer and I hope you would enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it.**


	2. Chapter 2

It was early in the morning; the sun was slowly rising from its slumber in the east and illuminated the whole district of Trost with its light. The district itself would be quite busy during weekdays but on weekends the streets would be quiet and void of crowds until nine o'clock. And today is Sunday, people were still sound asleep in their comfortable beds.

Mikasa was also sleeping peacefully in her bed as the sunlight was gradually emitting her room. She decided against waking up but the moment the smell of omelets and bacons hit her nose, her eyes gently fluttered open. She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes to get rid of the drowsiness from her sleep, she got up from her bed and started getting ready for the day.

Mrs. Ackerman was setting the plates on the table for her family, while Mr. Ackerman went out jogging around the neighborhood.

"Good morning, mom." Mikasa greeted her mother.

"Good morning, Mikasa." she greeted her daughter back, "Help me set the table will you? I have to get dressed."

"Sure." Mikasa replied.

Her mother smiled and kissed on the forehead before walking upstairs to get dressed. Mikasa marched towards the cupboard to get some silverware and glasses onto the table. As she was working on getting the table set, her mind had wandered elsewhere. _'I can't wait to see Annie again'_ she mused. _'Maybe I should bring snacks with me as well, it will be like a picnic.'_ she was so lost in thought that she didn't hear her name being called.

"Mika..."

"Hey, Mikasa!" a man called.

Mikasa was snapped back to reality; she turned to the direction of the voice and found that it was just her father. "Good morning, dad." She hugged him.

He hugged her back, "Morning, Mikasa. I called you four times already and you didn't answer. Are you day dreaming about a boy?" he smirked.

A tinge of pink crept onto her cheeks but thanks to her self-control, she was able to suppress it before it got worse. "N...NO! I was just thinking about going to the forest again in the afternoon, that's all." She replied looking anywhere but her father.

The man chuckled and patted her head, "I know. You aren't interested in those stuff." he kissed her forehead. "Where's your lovely mom?"

"Mom went upstairs to get dressed." she said.

"I hope she's not taking a nap, she might be drooling onto the bed again." He said letting out a laugh as well as Mikasa.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you because I'm not taking a nap." Mrs. Ackerman appeared behind Mr. Ackerman, "Also bad mouthing me to our daughter isn't what you should do as well." She shot an angry look at her husband.

Mr. Ackerman raised his hands up in surrender, "I'm sorry dear, I was just trying to make a funny joke. Please forgive me."

"Not until I punish you."

"Oh no, please don't."

"Oh yes, I will." After that last sentence, Mrs. Ackerman started tickling her husband and poor Mr. Ackerman; he was very ticklish and now he was laughing non-stop.

"Ahahahahaha...Please…Hahaha…stop." He was laughing so hard tears were coming out of his eyes. "Mikasa…Ahahahahaha…Help ME!" he asked his daughter for help.

As much as Mikasa enjoyed watching her mother gently tormenting her father by tickling him, her stomach was growling and the food was getting cold. So she had no choice but to step in, "Mom, dad. We should eat; the food will get cold soon."

"Oh right, we should." Mrs. Ackerman agreed.

They seated themselves at the table and started to eat. Small conversations about how their lives were going or anything they were interested in were being held, it was a happy Sunday morning that Mikasa had always loved. After they finished eating, she helped her mother carry the dishes to the sink and then she went to read some books in her room. The day continued uneventful until the clock reached two o'clock in the afternoon. _'Finally, it's time.'_ She hurriedly got up from her bed and scurried down the stairs to get a basket and shoved a container of cookies, some bread and jam into it.

"Mom, dad I'm going out!" She informed her parents.

"Sure, honey. Have fun." Her mother replied.

After hearing her mother's reply, Mikasa quickly put on her jacket and bolted out the door to be greeted by the cool wind of late autumn. She ran as fast as her feet could take her, her pulse rising with excitement. She couldn't wait to meet up with Annie. It took about ten minutes for her to reach the forest entry, she wanted to run to her favorite spot near the river but she needed to take a break. She was panting heavily, thanks to her non-stop running. A few minutes break to catch her breath, and then she continued her journey to her destination.

Red and brown leaves fell from trees leaving the trees leafless. The piles of leaf on the ground had also increased in amount, enough to cover a person's body if they were to lie down and hide.

The wind blew pass Mikasa making the skirt of her dress sway with it and her long and silky raven hair got in her face. Having long hair is pretty nice but during this season, it really is a pain to have long hair. As the wind blew, her hair only got in the way of her vision and unfortunately a few strands got into her mouth. She loved the forest and it's scenery but this hair problem had only done nothing but got her frustrated. And before her bottled up frustration could spill, she reached the spot near the river.

Her eyes scanned for the blonde but she couldn't find anything, _'Where's Annie?'_ a question formed in her mind _. 'Yesterday, Annie said maybe she might come. So I guess she isn't coming then.'_ She sighed; she decided to sit under the big tree behind her instead of the rock near the river where she sat with Annie yesterday. She spun her heel back to the direction of the said tree and accidentally bumped her forehead into someone's.

"Ow… Nice way to greet people." The person groaned.

And right before her was the blonde she was looking for and the said blonde was on the ground and rubbing her forehead.

"Sorry." Mikasa offered her a hand.

Annie stared at the hand for a second; her eyes showed sign of distrust but still she took Mikasa's hand anyway which made Mikasa a little glad.

"Annie, I brought some snacks with me. Would you like to eat them too?"

"Mm" Annie nodded.

"Uh…Okay then." Mikasa opened the basket to grab a container of cookies. She opened it and handed it to Annie. "Here."

Annie grabbed a piece and inspected it of its content then she started to eat it bit by bit.

"How was it?" Mikasa asked.

"It's good." Annie replied. She grabbed another one and started to slowly devour it.

"My mom makes the best cookies you know. If you like it, I could ask my mom to make some more and we can eat them every time we come here." Mikasa rambled.

Annie didn't mind Mikasa's rambling too much but she just wanted to enjoy the cookies quietly for now. She grabbed a cookie from the container and she held it up to the same level as Mikasa's mouth.

Mikasa was a bit surprised by the sudden action; she looked at the cookie then at the blonde. She could only see Annie's emotionless blue eyes staring back at her and they made her heart skipped a beat, _'Her eyes are so beautiful.'_ She thought.

"Why are you looking at me? Eat the cookie." Annie stated coldly.

"Oh! Sorry." She apologized then bit the cookie that was in Annie's hand.

They sat in silence, eating the remaining food in the basket. It wasn't the picnic Mikasa had imagined but at least it was still a picnic. After the remaining food was no more, they sat under the tree for a while. Mikasa wanted to start a conversation with the blonde but her last attempt didn't go as she planned, so now she was sitting next to the blonde, fidgeting.

At first Annie didn't think too much of it but as the minutes passed by, the raven-haired girl's fidgeting was starting to annoy her. So there was only one way to get rid of this source of annoyance and that only one way was something she wasn't too fond of. It was starting a conversation.

"What colors do you like?" Annie asked without looking at the other girl.

"Huh?" Mikasa turned to the blonde's direction.

"What colors do you like?" Annie repeated.

"Uh…I like red. What about you?"

"Blue"

"…."

Back to silence again. Annie didn't know what to ask and Mikasa didn't want to push her luck. Now both of them had realized how much of a failure they both are in this skill called starting a conversation. So they sat there enjoying the view but as time passed by Mikasa was starting to feel tired and after a few minutes she fell asleep.

Mikasa's eyes fluttered open. The weather was getting colder but that wasn't the thing that caused her to wake up, she felt something leaning its weight onto her and it sure did keep her warm. And that something was actually Annie leaning on her. Annie's sleeping face was relaxed and she seemed to be enjoying the nap. Then the sun's fading light snapped Mikasa back to reality, the forest was getting dark and they should really get going.

"Annie." Mikasa shook her friend lightly on the shoulder.

Annie's eyes shot open and after a second, she quickly moved away from Mikasa as she realized that she was leaning on the other girl while she was sleeping.

Mikasa was a bit confused with the girl's action but brushed it off anyway. "Annie, we should get moving the sun is setting." She said.

Annie turned to look at the sun that was about to set, she nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

They hurriedly made their way out of the forest. Annie was still dazed with her own actions, she never got too close to anybody, she didn't bother to get close but today she accidentally leaned on the other girl without knowing. It wasn't bad she had to admit but what good will getting close to someone do, the outcome would never be as good as you expected or it could've been worse than what you had expected. Many thoughts were running through her mind, so much that she didn't realize that they were about to part ways.

"Hey, Annie." Mikasa tried to get the blonde's attention.

Annie was cut out of her train of thought and then she turned to face Mikasa. Mikasa's cool gray orbs gazed back at her, it was so mesmerizing that she almost forgot to reply the other girl. "Yeah?"

"Today, we didn't do anything much." Mikasa said looking a little disappointed. "But still." She held up Annie's hands. "I'm glad that you came here to spend some time with me." She smiled at Annie so brightly it's hard to not smile back.

"Y…Yeah. Let's come here again tomorrow then." Annie replied turning away with her hands still in Mikasa's grasp.

If the light wasn't fading too fast Mikasa would've sworn that she saw Annie blush, but she didn't want to end their friendship by teasing the blonde at the end of the second day they spent together.

"So, see you tomorrow." Annie said.

"Yeah, see you." Mikasa smiled.

Annie sprinted to the direction of her house which was the opposite of Mikasa's. And Mikasa watched as the running form of Annie became smaller and smaller then no longer visible. It was a good sign, Annie was opening up and now she couldn't wait until their next meeting arrives.

 **A/N: Hello once again! Thank you for reviewing, fav-ing and reading this story. I'm so glad that so many people read it, Thank you so much. So here's chapter 2 for all of you, I don't know if this chapter will be as good as the last one but still I hope you will enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it. Criticism and pointing out where I went wrong are welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3

It was Annie and Mikasa's third day at the same forest. The weather was colder than the day before but not enough to be called freezing and most trees had become completely leafless thus creating larger piles of dead leaves on the ground. Shades of red, orange and brown adorned the forest.

Both of the girls were sitting on the large rock that was located next to the river, talking. Mikasa kept on talking about her time at school earlier in the day and how she broke someone's pencil. Annie was rather interested in her stories from school because she was homeschooled and she had no one to talk to other than her family and that was all the information about her social life that Mikasa could attain because the other girl refused to reveal any further information.

"So the boys were arguing if anyone in class could break the pencil in half, so they went around letting everyone in class try." Mikasa said. "When they came to me and I tried to break it and I didn't know that I was able to break it a second later."

"Mm, fascinating." Annie nodded.

"Maybe you should try breaking one too." Mikasa said cheerfully with a smile.

"Uh, no thanks." Annie frowned.

"Okay." Mikasa's smile faltered.

Annie secretly wanted to try and break a pencil or two but pencils are what she valued so much because she was able to write and draw what she felt or in other words, express herself. Expressionlessness is a problem that had become something hard for the blonde to fix or maybe she could never fix it. She wouldn't smile if she wasn't feeling truly happy and if she actually tried to fake a smile, it would look either weird or terrifying. She didn't know when she had stopped paying attention to Mikasa but when she realized it the raven haired girl was waving her small delicate hand in front of the blonde.

"Annie, are you okay?" Mikasa asked.

"I'm fine." The blonde replied coldly.

"Really?" The raven haired girl looked at her friend with concern.

"Yes." The blonde nodded.

They didn't say anything more, they sat there and enjoyed the scenery of the auburn forest. Tall trees surrounding the area making the place felt like it was a whole different world from the town outside the forest that they were actually living in. Then the wind blew past them causing them to shiver slightly.

"Do you want to walk along the river and find where it ends?" Annie asked with her gaze still locked at the river.

"Um…Sure. Let's go." Mikasa answered, she had to admit that she felt a little bit surprised. She knew that her friend wasn't the type of person who would suggest something for them to do. Well maybe this might be a step towards becoming the best of friends she had hoped for.

They stood up from their seats on the rock and started to stroll alongside the river trying to find where it truly leads to. Walking straight ahead, it was rather quiet. The only noises they could hear were the sound of crunching dead leaves beneath their feet and the flow of the river. Mikasa wondered if Annie had really enjoyed coming to the forest every afternoon just to chat with her so she took a glance at the other girl. She saw the blonde looking only straight ahead, so intent on finding where the river is leading them. _'She seems to be enjoying herself, I shouldn't ask her any questions just yet.'_ she mused.

They marched through the forest following the river, they walked and walked but the end of the river was yet to be seen and so they continued their journey and with some breaks along the way. It was a long and unplanned trip, Mikasa's legs were about to give out she could feel them trembling horribly. Then after a few meters her legs actually gave out, she lost balance and fell into the river. Her eyes shut, she could feel the cold water soaking her back but before she could go down deeper into the river any further than her torso she felt her left hand being pulled.

"Hold on!" Annie shouted. Her eyes showed nothing but shock and fear, she applied as much force as she could to pull her raven haired friend out of the river. She gritted her teeth "C'mon!" her heart was pounding hard and fast. _'Can I really save her?'_ A thought came to her mind, she could feel her grip and strength slipping away. The worst scenario was slowly creeping onto her mind, she shifted her gaze to focus on Mikasa's face only to see her eyes closed. Annie's eyes widen in shock _'No, I will save her.'_ And with that statement in mind, she exerted all of her remaining strength one more time trying to pull her friend out of the water and the next moment she wasn't exactly sure what happened but she knew that she had closed her eyes before falling onto her back. A few seconds later after she caught her breath her eyes shot open, the raven haired girl was now lying on top of her. Relief washed over her, she had somehow managed to pull Mikasa out of the water. She moved her right hand and held it up beneath the other girl's nose to see if she was breathing and once she could feel the warm exhaled air she felt even more relieved.

"Mikasa." Annie shook Mikasa's shoulder lightly. "Mikasa, can you hear me?"

The raven haired girl blinked a couple of times and looked up slowly, "Annie." she said weakly.

The blonde's eyes were evidently brimmed with tears but still she refused to cry, "I'm glad you're okay." She hugged the raven haired girl. "I'm sorry." she whispered.

Mikasa hugged back and mouthed a quiet thank you to the blonde. "It wasn't your fault, you saved me." She said. She wouldn't have made it out alive if it wasn't for the other girl pulling her out of the water.

After five minutes of recovering from the traumatic incident, they began to head towards the forest entry seeing that it probably was enough for the day and the sun would also be setting in an hour or two. As they were marching towards the entry, the raven haired girl was shivering pretty badly because of how cold the weather was getting. The blonde noticed it so she took off her hoodie and gave it to Mikasa.

"Wear it." She said.

"But aren't you going to get cold as well?" Mikasa gazed back at Annie.

"I already have my shirt and my house isn't too far."

"But…"

"Just wear it, you need it more than me."

Seeing that there was no way she could argue with Annie, she took off her soaked jacket and wore Annie's hoodie instead. "Thank you." She smiled softly at the blonde.

"Let's just hurry." The blonde blushed and started to walk a little faster.

After the raven haired girl saw her friend's reaction she let out a small chuckle, amused. She must've caught her off guard. She ran after the blonde catching up with her with a little smile on her face.

Once they reached the entry, Mikasa was about to take off the white hoodie and give it back to its righteous owner but a hand stopped her from doing that so.

"You can give it back tomorrow, going uphill is cold isn't it?" The blonde said.

"But you've been walking without it for…"

"You can give it back tomorrow." Annie insisted. "Bye." She sprinted off to her house's direction.

"Bye." Mikasa uttered softly, looking at Annie's running form until it was nowhere to be seen. The sunlight was slowly fading little by little and the street lamps were lighting the streets instead and most people are getting home from work. It also reminded her that she had to go back home as well, she turned back to the direction of her house and started to run up the hill. She shoved her hands into the hoodie to keep her hands warm and the piece of clothing was amazingly warm, and the thought of getting to meet her friend gain tomorrow made her feel a little fuzzy and warm inside as well. ' _I can't wait for tomorrow to come.'_ The blonde was kind even if she never really showed it and Mikasa would surely find a way to repay the favor.

 **A/N: This chapter was a hard one to write but I finsihed writing it in the end. Thank you so much for reviewing, following and fav-ing this story, it means a lot to me and keeps me going. And also I was planning on releasing this chapter next week but I might be quite busy with school for a while since my finals are coming. So an early chapter 3 for you! I'd love to hear your opinions so I could use it to improve my writing for you. Criticism and pointing out where I went wrong are welcome. See you in the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Saturday came around once again, it had been one week since they met. Since Mikasa's near death experience at the river, Annie had changed little by little every time they meet. She started to speak to Mikasa slightly more even though she had nothing interesting to tell at all. And if Mikasa were to suggest about taking a walk, the suggestion would either be dismissed or the blonde would take her time to think some more about their safety. Even if she had agreed to Mikasa's suggestion, still she would be looking out for the both of them. Mostly for the raven haired girl.

And here they sat, the same place and same spot where they first met each other. They were sitting on the same rock near the river with a picnic basket laid between them. It was quite an enjoyable picnic for the both of them so far, from talking about their day to other random things and having the delicious cookies that were made by Mrs. Ackerman. Mikasa wouldn't deny that she had fun talking to the blonde, even more fun than talking to those people at school. Maybe she and Annie had a more common personality than those of her classmates, sometimes she wished that the blonde had actually gone to her school instead of being homeschooled by her parents. But at least she had the chance to meet Annie and spend their afternoons together like this.

Annie told Mikasa about how she had to train martial arts at home because her father wanted her to be able to protect herself in a bad situation and no one was there to help her. Even though her mother was against it, she could do nothing about it. Mikasa could clearly see that the other girl's knuckles were red and slightly calloused from the exercise. The blonde vented for a while longer then finally ending it when she grabbed another piece of the chocolate chip cookie within the container inside the basket. "It's the last one." Annie held up the cookie. "Have it."

"You have it, I'm full." Mikasa said softly.

"You ate only two." The blonde stated with a raised brow.

"Really, I'm full." Mikasa was trying to get Annie to eat because she especially asked her mother to make more cookies than the usual amount so that she could bring them with her to the forest for her friend. But instead of accepting the last piece nicely the said friend was against the idea of eating the last piece herself. _'Just eat it.'_ Mikasa glanced at the blonde nervously only to see that she was still inspecting the cookie. _'C'mon eat it.'_ She hoped that Annie was going to eat it.

Annie glanced back at her, her blue eyes observing Mikasa closely and then she sighed. "Fine, I'll eat it."

With that one statement, the raven haired girl felt her heart skipped a beat or what felt like it. _'Why am I so happy?'_ she asked herself. _'She only agreed to eat a cookie.'_ She wanted to cover her face so much but doing that out of the blue would look strange, so she had to calm down. _'Right, I have to calm down.'_ She tried breathing in and out slowly like how her mother taught her when she gets anxious, it proved to be effective but as she was about to become absolutely calm, her gaze had wandered to the other girl sitting beside her. The dazzling blonde hair that swayed with the cool wind, those cold blue eyes that could pierce into your soul, the nose that stood out for some reason no one could explain and the soft and delicate lips slowly nibbling at the chocolate chip cookie. Blood rushed to Mikasa's face, by just looking at the blonde made her heart flutter for some reason. Admiration perhaps? She could only look away from the blonde.

"What's wrong?" Annie asked sounding concerned.

"Nothing." Mikasa replied.

"Uh…Okay then." The blonde looked at her friend for a few seconds to make sure that the girl was actually fine. Once she felt that Mikasa was fine, she turned back to the direction of the river staring at whatever living organisms visible.

And after almost a week that they kept chatting, they were back to silence again. It was quiet but this time wasn't because of their lack of social skill, they just chose to stay quiet and enjoy each other's company in silence. Mikasa wished that she could see Annie and play together forever, but she knew too well that the future is hard to predict. She could only wish.

When the weather was starting to get colder, they decided that it was a good idea to go home and enjoy the warmth of their house. They walked back the path they came from, they chatted about what to do tomorrow for a little while until they reached the point where they separate ways. The raven haired girl had a question she wanted to ask the blonde and now was probably the right time. "Hey Annie." She turned to face the other girl.

"Yeah?" Annie replied.

"Do you enjoy coming here every afternoon?"

Annie looked at Mikasa then looked away with a frown. Mikasa was prepared to receive the harsh truth she thought was going to be the blonde's answer.

"I don't hate it." The blonde said still looking away. "I never had a friend before and then you came. I'm glad I met you." She turned back to smile at Mikasa, the sweetest smile of all the times she had ever smiled. "Bye." She said and ran off with a small wave.

That moment that the blonde gave her answer was the best she could ask for, it made her look forward for tomorrow even more. She ran uphill towards her house with a grin on her face, happiness filled her tiny heart. She truly wished that times like this would never end.

Once she reached her house, she saw her father putting gardening tools into a box. Still she paid it no mind and walked up to him. "Hi, dad."

"Oh! Hi sweetie. Did you have fun?" Mr. Ackerman smiled at his beloved daughter.

"Yes, dad. It was a lot of fun." Mikasa said cheerfully.

Sometimes Mr. Ackerman wondered if his daughter was alright because normally kids her age would be running around and climbing bookcases or something similar but instead his daughter enjoyed sitting quietly reading with her mother. Still Mikasa was a genius, she was able to learn things so quickly and would master it in no time, couldn't say that he wasn't proud. He still wondered why she went to the forest for hours every afternoon just to sit there and enjoy the cookies alone maybe she had a friend.

Then he felt his shirt being tugged. "Dad, mom said that dinner's ready." Mikasa said. "Let's go eat."

"Oh, sure. Let's go." He smiled at his daughter once gain.

They went inside and washed their hands before going to the table to have dinner. Once all of them were seated, they started eating their dinner happily. And after they finished their meal, they had a small conversation about their afternoon, then Mrs. Ackerman turned towards Mikasa. "Mikasa, did your dad tell you about next week?" She asked.

"Uh…No?" she answered.

Mrs. Ackerman shot a look at her husband and he responded by raising both his hands up in defense. She glared at him for a second or two then she sighed. "Mikasa." She said. "This is going to be hard but I want you to stay strong."

The girl nodded. "What is it mom?"

The sentence that came from her mother made her felt like she was underneath a crumbling building and it was falling on her.

"We are moving to Shiganshina next Sunday."

 **A/N: BOOM! I felt some of my brain cells explode. Anyways, thank you so much for reviewing the previous chapter and also thank you for fav-ing and following and anything that was available and I did miss out. This one was a pretty tricky one to write, I thought I had reached that point where I didn't know what to write. I tried to adapt more to your suggestions, guess I have a long way to go but thank you for pointing my error out for me. Ah, and the question about their ages, they will be included in the next chapter but if you couldn't wait I'll PM you just let me know. Also the shippers are stronger together we must stick together. I better end the author's note now, it might be longer than the story. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. Criticism and pointing out where I went wrong are welcome. *smiling emoji***

 _If possible please hug me this story takes a lot of emotional toll or I'm just really emotional while writing and listening to music. *cries*_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"We are moving to Shiganshina next Sunday."

The words pierced Mikasa's heart like needles. Just right when she was getting along so well with Annie, something like this had to happen.

"Do we really need to move?" She asked her mother.

"Well, your dad had got a new job so we have to move with him." Mrs. Ackerman answered.

"I see." Mikasa lowered her head.

Mr. Ackerman noticed his daughter's saddened expression. "Uh, Mikasa! Shiganshina has lots of beautiful forests like the ones here too!" he said trying to cheer up his daughter but still Mikasa's face remained the same. And that face was making him feel very anxious. "I…I could take you to the forest every week too!" he continued.

"Thanks, dad." Mikasa smiled at her father's offer. A fake smile to keep her dad from worrying too much. "Let's eat."

"Okay." Both of her parents said in unison with a tiny hint of worry.

After they had finished their meal, Mikasa helped her mother clear the table then she excused herself to her room. She ran up to her room, shut the door and lay down on her bed. Today was too much for her to handle, especially the news from her parents. She had never thought that one day she would ever have to move away from Trost. Most of all, _'How can I tell Annie?'_ she rested her right hand on her forehead and sighed. This was probably too much to handle, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Monday morning soon came, Mikasa went along with her usual routine for the whole morning and when the clock struck three o'clock in the afternoon, she knew where her next destination will have to be.

The trek from her house to their usual location felt longer than usual. Was it because of the news that she had to tell Annie? Who knows, she had no other choice. She had to tell Annie now or else she wouldn't be able to muster up the courage anymore.

As she marched along the trails of forest path which was covered by the fallen autumn leaves. And there stood the girl in a white hoodie and jeans. Her dazzling blonde hair swayed with the wind as she turned back to face Mikasa. Once again, the baby blue orbs met the cool gray ones. The blonde let out a little smile that made Mikasa's heart race. She could do nothing but admire the sight before her.  
"Mikasa!" The blonde's soft voice called out to her.

"Annie." Mikasa muttered softly.

Annie jogged towards her, "Let's go." She grabbed the raven haired girl's hand and led them to their spot near the river.

Mikasa was glad that Annie had opened up to her a lot more but still her heart felt heavy. _'Do I really need to tell her?_ ' she thought as the both of them were reaching their destination.

"I brought snacks today." Annie took out a small bag of cookies from her pocket. "Here, try it." She offered one to her raven haired friend.

"Thanks." Mikasa grabbed the offered cookie and inspected its content a little. "Chocolate chip?"

"Yeah, I loved that one you brought." The blonde answered. "It was delicious."

"Yes, it was." Mikasa smiled at the other girl's statement then she took her first bite. This cookie was rather delicious but of course nothing could beat her mother's cookies, they were the best.

Their afternoon went by with small talks and eating cookies. From the first time they met, everything seemed to have become quite lively for the both of them until they ran out of what to say and they both sat there silently. Mikasa soon realized that this was moment she had to tell Annie the news.

"Mika-"

"Anni-"

The two of them paused. Surprised that they had called each other's names at the same time.

"You go first." Annie said.

"But-" Mikasa protested.

"It's fine. You first."

"O…Okay." Mikasa's heart felt so heavy, it felt like her body couldn't get as much air as it wanted but she'll have to fight it. Tell her friend now or never. "Annie, I…I'm moving to Shiganshina."

The blonde's eyes widen. A silent moment between them and "When?" was her question.

"On Sunday." Mikasa lowered her gaze to look at the ground. She couldn't face Annie for some reason, this feeling inside her heart was difficult to identify and all she could sense was pain. "Can we still play together until I leave?" she asked the blonde who was also looking anywhere that wasn't her.

"I don't know." A curt reply.

The tears rolled down her cheeks, she didn't quite understand why that simple little phrase from Annie would make her cry.

"My parents don't want me to come here." Annie continued with her now hoarse voice. "But if I could, will you wait for me?"

Mikasa looked up at Annie with her tear stained face to see the blonde with an equally painful expression painted on her face. "Mm." Mikasa closed her eyes and nod.

Annie let out a small smile, "Thank you." She muttered as she wiped Mikasa's tears with her hoodie's sleeve. "C'mon, it's getting late."

"Okay."

They walked towards the exit in silence, the events of today was too sudden but there was nothing that could've been done and soon they reached the point where they usually part.

"See you later." Annie said.

"Yeah." Mikasa replied.

"Bye."

"Bye." Mikasa stood there looking at the fading figure of the blonde. Somehow, this felt like it was their last goodbye. After she could no longer see the tiny figure of the blonde, she headed towards her house uphill.

The next day soon came, Mikasa went to the forest once again but the difference was it was just her alone in the forest just like the many time before she met the blonde. The hours in the forest were spent admiring the scenery before her and wondering will the blonde show up, after all she could only hope for the best and it turns out that her hope was crushed yet again. But still she didn't feel like giving up just yet. Then came Wednesday, she waited for the blonde but no one came and then Thursday, still no one came. And then it came to Friday, she seated herself on the rock near the river. She was beginning to lose faith, she waited for three days and yet there was still no signs of the blonde. She was getting rather tired and even more depressed every time she got her hopes repeatedly crushed. Today was going to be the last time she'll come here and suddenly she heard the crunching noises from the dried leaves behind her. Her heart beat a little faster, _'Annie?'_ she swiftly turned her head to that direction. What she saw was just a raccoon. Mikasa let out a sigh, she was done with the forest. She stood up from her seat and walked away without glancing back. Disappointment was becoming too much for her to bear.

Saturday, one day before the Ackermans move to Shiganshina. Mikasa carried the boxes that contained her beloved belongings to the living room where all the other boxes are. She was almost done packing up. She quickly went up to her room to check if she had forgotten anything.

There was probably nothing she had missed. She was about to go downstairs when she walked past the window in her room that she used to frequently look out. She decided to look out from it again, well it was going to be last time she would be able to observe the outside from it. And there, the forest that she had always loved. That place made her feel at ease but now it made her feel quite agitated. She turned away from the window and continued to head downstairs to help her parents.

They finished packing around late afternoon. Mr. Ackerman put the last box he had carried from his room on top of the ones on the ground. "Finally!" he exclaimed.

"Good work honey." Mrs. Ackerman pinched her husband's cheek lovingly.

Seeing the interaction between her parents made her feel warm inside. She just loved how much affection they had for each other.

"Mikasa, don't you want to go to the forest today?" Mrs. Ackerman asked her daughter.

"Uh…No." Mikasa replied curtly. "I don't feel like going today."

Mrs. Ackerman observed her daughter's expression for a little, she could see that there was still a hint of sadness on her daughter's face. "Since you worked really hard today, how about you tell me what you want to eat?" She smiled.

Mikasa's face lit up at her mother's proposal. "Yes!" she exclaimed.

The Ackermans had an enjoyable dinner one day prior their move. Even though Mikasa didn't get to spend it with Annie, still she was glad she could spend it with her beloved family. They were the main source of her happiness after all.

Sunday afternoon, Mr. Ackerman placed the boxes in their car while Mrs. Ackerman went inside the house to double check if there was anything that they might have forgotten. Mikasa leaned on the fence outside waiting for her parents to be done with their tasks. She noticed that there are a lot of clouds in the sky today, dark gray clouds. _'It might rain today.'_ She mused.

"Alright! Everything's all set." Mr. Ackerman said as he walked towards Mikasa. "You'll make lots of friends, I'm sure of it." He patted Mikasa's head lovingly. "I'll go call your mom."

"Okay." She replied as her father went inside the house to call her mother.

She looked at the sky once more. She felt like the sky was reflecting her feelings, dark colors were associated with sadness right? That was what she thought. It reminded her of a certain blonde who she hadn't seen for almost a week now. There was no use thinking about it now anyway, she's about to leave this place. Then everything turned pitch black, someone was covering her eyes. _'What?'_ Mikasa was starting to panic.

"Not saying goodbye?"

A voice she was familiar with. It couldn't be anyone else but her.

"Annie?" Mikasa pulled the calloused hands away from her eyes and turned to face the blonde.

Annie's face was covered with dirt and bruises but yet she managed to smile so softly at Mikasa.

"What happened to you?" Mikasa's hand reached out to hold Annie's face.

"It's nothing." Annie held Mikasa's hand in place. "I have something for you." She took out a box from her pocket. "Here."

Mikasa opened the box and inside was a bracelet made of sticks and rubber bands. She glanced up to look at Annie and glanced back down at the bracelet.

"I don't know how to make crowns, so…yeah."

"Thank you." Mikasa smiled and hugged Annie.

"I have to go now, my parents will get mad." Annie said.

"O…Okay." Mikasa let go of the other girl. Her expression returned to a frown.

The blonde noticed Mikasa's saddened expression so she lifted both of Mikasa's hands up. "I had a lot fun with you. One day we'll see each other again. Let's wait until that day."

"Mm." Mikasa nodded.

"Goodbye." Annie muttered before she left.

"Goodbye." Mikasa said as she stared at Annie ran downhill. _'Until we see each other again.'_

"Mikasa, let's go." Mrs. Ackerman came out of the house with her husband.

"Mm hm." Mikasa nodded.

They got into the car and drove towards the direction that led them to Shiganshina district. As the drops of rain came down from the sky, they went past the neighborhoods and then the forest. Mikasa will always remember this place, it was where she felt at peace and also it was where she had met the blonde. When the car drove past the forest's entrance, there stood Annie waving at her. Mikasa saw her and waved back from the back window of the car.

The rain came down harder and harder every minute. Annie stood there staring at the car that drove farther and farther away from her. Every time they parted, it was always Mikasa who saw Annie moving away little by little but now it was Annie who had to see it. Tears rolled down her cheeks, she wanted to hold it in but she didn't have the strength to stop it from coming out. She hated crying so much but what can one do when their feelings had become too much to bear alone. She was just a little girl crying alone in the rain.

 **A/N: You thought I wasn't going to update anymore? Well, too bad. I just updated a new chapter! *just kidding***

 **I'm truly sorry I haven't updated the story for almost half a year, I was busy with school, tumblr, hobbies and video games. (Mostly video games.) I just finished my finals two days ago and came back to work on it. I'm very grateful to you all who read/review/fav/follow this story and since I have more free time now I'll try to work on it more. The schedule for this story...well I'm not so sure but I'll update as soon each chapter is finished. I haven't checked it thoroughly enough, if there are any mistakes please tell me, I'll try to fix it. Criticism is also welcome. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The dark gray clouds covered the sky and the sound of the little drops of rain hitting the car's windows.

The five year old Mikasa stared at the figure of the girl standing in the rain from the back window. The car moved farther and farther away but still her gaze was at the girl until the figure became smaller and smaller until it couldn't be seen anymore. She decided to sit back on her seat and-

 ***BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP***

Mikasa's eyes fluttered open, she blinked a few times then rolled to the side of the bed to reach for her phone on the table to shut the alarm. Then went back to her former position, _'The day I left Trost.'_ She mused. It felt somewhat unusual, since the day she departed for Shiganshina she had never dreamed of the day of her departure but now after thirteen years she dreamed of it. She pressed the button on her phone and the screen lit up showing that it was almost seven o'clock. _'I have to get ready soon.'_ She stood up from her bed and head for the bathroom.

After she finished dressing up, she decided to check herself in the mirror once more before going downstairs. The reflection showed a few strands of her short black hair was out of place and the small scar on her right cheek. She ran her fingertips over the scar, ' _It would never go away wouldn't it.'_ And with a sigh she took her hand away from the scar, groom her hair a little and then head downstairs.

In the kitchen stood Carla Yeager, a woman with long dark hair who was setting the table.

"Good morning, Aunt Carla." Mikasa greeted.

"Good morning, Mikasa" she looked up from the table and smiled at the raven haired girl. "How was your sleep?" she asked.

"It was fine. Thank you." Mikasa replied.

Carla smiled at Mikasa again, then she glanced at the clock on the wall and it was already Seven thirty. "Could you go wake Eren up for me? I went to wake him up twenty minutes ago he still wouldn't budge." She sighed.

"Of course." Mikasa nodded. She trudged towards the direction of the basement. The Yeagers' basement was rather large, it had a separated room there which had become Eren's room. Once Mikasa stood before the door, she knocked twice. "Eren, are you awake?" she asked. There was no answer then she knocked again. "Eren?" still no answer. He was probably still asleep or trying to ignore the fact that it was time to get up. She decided that it was best to go inside and wake him up herself. "Eren!" she yelled as she pulled Eren's blanket away from the bed along with its owner.

"Ow!" Eren cried. "What the heck Mikasa!"

"I tried waking you up verbally but you wouldn't budge." She said coolly. "Also, you should get ready soon, we're leaving at nine thirty."

"Ugh! Fine." He stood up and walked out the door.

Eren was always grumpy every morning. Ever since she had moved in with the Yeagers eight years ago, there was never a single day that Eren could stay calm for a whole day or maybe it was because of Jean Kirstein, the both of them never seemed to get along. The boy was rather hot-headed and reckless, he severely injured his hand once trying to vent his anger by punching a lamp post. Even though he could be somewhat of an idiot still he was genuine and nice to his friends.

In the dining room, sat Mikasa, Eren, Carla and Eren's father, Grisha Yeager at the table. Everyone was enjoying their meal in comfortable silence until Eren finished devouring his share of food. "Dad, when are we leaving again?" he turned to Grisha.

"Nine thirty." Grisha replied "Are you that excited for university?" he raised his eyebrow.

"Of course! I worked my ass off to get into that place." Eren said proudly, raising his chin in pride until Carla pinched his cheek.

"Proper language, Eren." She gave him a menacing look.

"Ow! Fine." Eren replied then Carla nodded approvingly and let go of his cheek.

"Are you excited too?" Grisha turned to Mikasa.

She nodded "Yes, I am."

"Let's finish breakfast quickly so that we can check the things that we're taking with us again, okay?" Carla cut in.

"Sure." Eren said and stood up from his seat to go to his room once again.

"Excuse me then." Mikasa stood up from her seat and head towards her room.

After entering her room, Mikasa sat down on her bed. Thirteen years in Shiganshina and eight years living with the Yeagers had given her a lot of great memories and friends. If it wasn't for Eren and Armin she wouldn't be making new friends until now. The crazy things they did together always made her smile. _'I should start checking.'_ She stood up from the bed and went to check her closet. Mikasa opened the closet, she saw an old box lying on the closet's floor. She stared at the box for a second and decided to take it out and check what was inside. The amount of dust that covered the box was the proof that she hadn't look inside for quite a long time and she really wanted to give it one last look before leaving for university.

Once the box was opened, there was a photo of her and her parents from many years ago and a little worn out cardboard box inside. She picked up the photo, "I'll always miss you mom and dad." She said as she ran her fingertips over the photo then she folded it and put it in her pocket. After putting away the photo she picked up the little cardboard box. She opened the box and inside it were just pieces of sticks and rubber bands that wouldn't be able to tie anything anymore. It made her remember the day she left Trost, this was a present from a certain girl she met in the forest. _'Annie.'_

"Mikasa! Eren! It's almost time!" Grisha shouted from downstairs.

The sudden call from Grisha brought her back to the realm of reality. She checked the time on her phone again and it was Nine fifteen. _'Better get going.'_ She placed the box back to where it originally was and hurried downstairs to the living room.

"Don't forget to call home every month or if there's a problem you could just call me alright?" Carla said.

"Okay, I will mom. Don't worry. " Eren responded.

"Well it's my job to worry." Carla pinched his cheek.

"Ow! Mom!" Eren cried.

Mikasa stood at the bottom of the stairs watching the family antics of Carla and Eren. It was always amusing to watch like when her parent would tease each other every now and then. _'Mom. Dad.'_ She thought and her hand automatically reached for the scar on her cheek. Her body tensed up slightly. The reason why she had to move in with the Yeagers, the scar and her parents. It was a terrible thing that was tattooed to her memory, she wished she could just wake up one day and forget about it all.

"Mikasa." a tap on her shoulder.

"Huh?" she turned to owner of the hand.

"Are you okay?" Grisha asked.

"No. I'm good." She answered.

"You've been touching that scar for a while now."

"Oh…It's nothing."

"Well…Let's go then." Grisha headed out of the house.

Mikasa stood there for another second. _'I should stop reminiscing the past._ ' She sighed and did the same.

Carla chatted with her husband for a bit then she gave him a kiss on the cheek and a kiss on the forehead for Eren and Mikasa. Once they were finished with their farewell, their trip to Sina University began.

The trip was supposed to be at least five hours but with Eren's consistent whining along the way, it almost felt like the trip was going to go on for forever for Grisha. Mikasa offered to drive instead of him for a while but he wouldn't want her to feel tired once they reached their destination, so his only choice was to decline.

After hours of driving, they arrived at Sina University. One of the most prestigious universities around and of course, the campus itself was rather huge. But first of all, they need to check where their dorm rooms are and who they are staying with.

"Dad, I'll go check out my dorm." And with that one sentence, Eren grabbed all of his luggage and dashed to the boy's dorm.

"That was fast." Grisha commented. "Do you need help Mikasa?" he turned to the girl.

"I'm good, thank you." She said. "I'll contact you once I'm finished."

"Okay, I'll go check on Eren then." Grisha waved his hand and went towards the same direction as Eren.

 _'If I remembered correctly, most of our friends made it here as well.'_ Mikasa pondered. She went inside the building. And the first thing she saw was a girl with a slender figure standing before her. The said girl soon turned back to Mikasa's direction. She knew who it was.

The long hair, the familiar pair of eyes and the bread.

"Sasha?" Mikasa's eyes widened.

"Mikasa!?" The girl exclaimed. "I finally found you!" she hugged Mikasa.

"Good to see you, which room are you staying in?" Mikasa inquired.

"Uh…Two fifteen, I think." Sasha responded "I'm glad that we're staying in the same room." She smiled and continued to chew on her bread.

"I see." Mikasa nodded in acknowledgement. "Let's go then." she went to get the keys at the counter then made her way up to the designated room along with Sasha.

The room was much better than what Mikasa had expected. It has a bathroom and the living space was wide enough for both of the inhabitants to roam freely without bumping into each other. After they have finished unpacking, Sasha leaped onto the bed. "Finally!" she said. "Ah! You don't mind me taking this one right?" she turned to her friend.

"No, I don't mind." Mikasa sat on the vacant bed. "Sasha, who from our high school made it here?"

"Hmm…besides from you and Eren, I think there's Jean, Connie, Armin, Christa and Ymir." Sasha replied.

"I see." Mikasa nodded. She took out her phone and dial Grisha's number.

"Hello Mikasa, you're done right?" he asked.

"Yes, I finished unpacking. How's Eren?"

"Not so good, I think he ran into that Kirstein boy earlier. I think they're fighting. " he said worriedly.

"Just drag them outside uncle, I'll deal with them."

"O…Okay then." Grisha ended the call.

 _'Will they ever stop fighting?'_ Mikasa sighed internally. "Sasha, I'll go deal with Eren now. Don't forget to lock the door." She said.

"Of course, have fun." The brunette waved at her.

"Bye." One curt response and Mikasa exited the room.

The afternoon sun was quite hot but luckily it wasn't too hot out with all the wind. Mikasa was making her way towards the cafeteria since Grisha texted her that he managed to drag Eren away from Jean to the cafeteria. She walked and walked yet the cafeteria was still not in sight, it was getting rather tiring for her but she had a duty to fulfill and it was babysit Eren. Hopefully all her friends would arrive soon, that would make babysitting Eren much less tiring. She sighed and kept walking. This was going to be a long day.

 **A/N: Greetings dear readers, I have been gone for so long. I'm terribly sorry, I was lazy again. At least it was five months this time *laughs* (Please don't hit me.)**

 **But thank you for sticking with me up until now, I'm very grateful. You guys are so nice in every review, every time I read them, I feel like I could die of happiness. I wish I could update faster for you guys but I really can't, laziness holds me back multiple of times. (Procrastination is not good, I know. I'm sorry.)**

 **And also for "bionic221", I'm glad you liked the story. I wish I could translate it to different languages but I couldn't. I could only speak Thai and English, I'm terribly sorry. But if there's anyone who's interested in translating it into other languages, please contact me.**

 **And one more thing, I'm going on an exchange year starting the next two weeks, so I might not be able to write as much but yeah, I'm always late for some reason. But if I managed to finish a chapter I'll update it. So thank you so much for reviewing, fav-ing and following this story. Criticism and pointing out mistakes are welcome. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. See you in the next chapter.**


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